The Rolling Stones are a British blues-based rock band that has been described (first by stage manager Sam Cutler in 1969) as "The World's Greatest Rock And Roll Band" and has been doing its best to justify the description for more than half a century. The band formed in June 1962 in London by Brian Jones when he recruited pianist Ian Stewart, followed by vocalist Mick Jagger who brought along guitarist Keith Richards. Jagger and Richards' song-writing partnership later contributed to their taking the leadership role from Jones in the group. After a series of fill-ins, bassist Bill Wyman joined in December 1962 and drummer Charlie Watts joined in January 1963, completing the first stable line-up. After recruiting Andrew Loog Oldham as manager, Ian Stewart was removed from the official line-up, as Oldham felt that six members were too many, and Stewart was the odd one out image-wise. Stu took the demotion admirably well, and continued to work with the band as road manager and main pianist and keyboardist until his death in 1985.

The band's early recordings largely consisted of covers of American blues and R&B songs. The earliest songs written by the band were credited under the pseudonym Nanker/Phlege. After first achieving success in the UK with a cover of Lennon–McCartney's "I Wanna Be Your Man" in late 1963, they became popular in the US during The British Invasion in 1964. However, their first U.S. tour was famous as a disaster, where the band had no major hit to tour on, were mocked by Dean Martin on national TV and regularly failed to sell tickets well. Their 1965 singles "The Last Time" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" as well as their third album Out of Our Heads shot the Stones into superstardom.

Starting with their 1966 album Aftermath, the songs of Jagger and Richards, aided by the instrumental experimentation of Jones, expanded an always-present stylistic flexibility. The experimentation continued through 1967 with the baroque pop album Between the Buttons and climaxed with the polarising Their Satanic Majesties Request and the single "We Love You". 1967 proved to be an important year for the Stones, which came close to breaking up. Jagger, Jones and Richards were both hit by drug busts, which would have a devastating impact on Jones in particular. Oldham, who had worked as their manager and producer since 1963, quit around this time, as he felt that his partnership with the Stones had run its course. This led to the Stones self-producing Satanic Majesties.

In 1968, the band recruited Jimmy Miller as producer, and chose to return to a back-to-basics approach to their music after the psychedelic excesses from the previous year. Beggars Banquet proved to be Brian Jones's last hurrah with the band, who was hit by another drug bust, and stopped making major contributions to the band's music. His health had also been affected by drug use, and as a result of the drug busts he was unable to gain a visa to tour in America. Jones's final contributions to the band was Autoharp and Percussion on "You Got The Silver" and "Midnight Rambler" from Let It Bleed. Matters soon came to a head, and Jones was forced to leave the band he had formed, replaced by Mick Taylor. Jones sadly drowned several weeks after departure, just a few days before Taylor had his first gig with the Stones - at Hyde Park, which was transformed into a tribute for Jones. Taylor recorded five studio albums with the band before quitting in 1974. Former Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood stepped in, became an official member in February 1976 and has been with the band ever since. Wyman quit in 1993; bassist Darryl Jones, who is not an official band member, has worked with the group since then.

They have released 23 studio albums in the UK (25 in the US), 19 live albums and numerous compilations; and have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. Sticky Fingers from 1971 began a string of eight straight studio albums that charted at number one in the United States. In 1989, The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they were ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Their image of unkempt and surly youth (originally cultivated in large part to contrast them with The Beatles) is one that many musicians still emulate.

Ian "Stu" Stewart - piano, keyboard, organ, percussion (1962–63, died 1985) note Demoted to Road Manager and Studio and Touring Musician in 1963 until his death in 1985

Mick Taylor - guitar, vocals, bass, synthesizer, congas (1969–74) note Appeared on Tattoo You from tracks dating back to 1972 and made a guest appearance at one of their concerts in 1981. He has been a guest performer since 2012

1966 - Aftermathnote Released in the US only as the substitute for the UK version. The track-listing was changed and it omitted Out Of Time, Take It Or Leave It, What To Do and Mother's Little Helper and added Paint It Black

1967 - Between the Buttonsnote Released in the US only as the substitute for the UK version. Back Street Girl and Please Go Home were omitted and Let's Spend The Night Together and Ruby Tuesday were added

2012 - Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981note A collaboration with Muddy Waters

2012 - Live at the Tokyo Domenote Recorded in 1990

2012 - Light the Fusenote Recorded in 2005

2012 - Live at Leedsnote Recorded in 1982

2013 - Hyde Park Live

Non-album singles:

1963 - Come On

I Want to Be Loved as the B-side

1963 - I Wanna Be Your Man

Stoned as the B-side

1964 - Not Fade Awaynote Otherwise available on England's Newest Hitmakers, but not on a UK album

Little by Little as the UK B-side note Otherwise available on their 1964 album The Rolling Stones

I Wanna Be Your Man as the US B-side note Previously released as an A-side in 1963

1964 - It's All Over Nownote Otherwise available on 12 X 5, but not on a UK album

Good Times, Bad Times as the B-side note Otherwise available on 12 X 5, however not on a UK album

1964 - Time Is on My Sidenote Otherwise available on their 1965 album The Rolling Stones No.2

Congratulations as the B-side note Otherwise available on the US only album 12 X 5, but not on a UK album

1964 - Little Red Roosternote Otherwise available on The Rolling Stones Now!, but not on a UK album

Off the Hook as the B-side note Otherwise available on The Rolling Stones No.2

1965 - The Last Timenote Otherwise available on the US version of Out of Our Heads, but not on a UK album

Play with Fire as the B-Side note Otherwise available on Out of Our Heads, but on the US version only; not on a UK album

1965 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfactionnote Again, available on the US version of Out of Our Heads, but not on a UK album

The Spider and the Fly as the UK B-side note Available on the US version of Out of Our Heads, but not on a UK album

The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man as the US B-side note Otherwise available on their 1965 album Out of Our Heads

1965 - Get Off of My Cloudnote Otherwise available on December's Children (And Everybody's), but not on a UK album

The Singer Not the Song as the UK B-side note Otherwise available on the US album December's Children (And Everybody's), but not on a UK album

I'm Free as the US B-side note Otherwise available on the standard version of Out of Our Heads

1965 - As Tears Go Bynote Otherwise available on the album December's Children (And Everybody's), and it was not put on a UK album

Gotta Get Away as the B-side note Otherwise available on the non-US version of Out of Our Heads

1966 - 19th Nervous Breakdown

As Tears Go By as the UK B-side note Previously released as an A-side in 1965, as well as the US only album December's Children (And Everybody's)

Sad Day as the US B-side

1966 - Paint It Blacknote Otherwise available on the US version of Aftermath, but not an a UK album

Long Long While as the UK B-side

Stupid Girl as the US B-side note Otherwise available on their 1966 album Aftermath

1966 - Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?

Who's Driving Your Plane as the B-side

1967 - Let's Spend the Night Togethernote Otherwise available on the US version of Between the Buttons, but not on a UK album

Ruby Tuesday as a double A-side note Otherwise available on the US edition of Between the Buttons, but not on a UK album

1967 - We Love You

Dandelion as the B-side

1968 - Jumpin' Jack Flash

Child Of The Moon as the B-side

1969 - Honky Tonk Women

You Can't Always Get What You Want as the B-side note Otherwise available on their 1969 album Let It Bleed

1974 - It's Only Rock 'n Rollnote Otherwise available on their 1974 album It's Only Rock 'n Roll

Through the Lonely Nights as the B-side

1975 - I Don't Know Why

Try a Little Harder as the B-side

1975 - Out of Timenote Not the version available on their 1966 album Aftermath

Jiving Sister Fanny as the B-side

1978 - Shatterednote Otherwise available on their 1978 album Some Girls

Everything Is Turning to Gold as the B-side

1981 - If I Was A Dancer (Dance Pt.2)

Dance (Instrumental) as the B-side

1984 - She Was Hotnote Otherwise available on their 1983 album Undercover

I Think I'm Going Mad as the B-side

1989 - Mixed Emotionsnote Otherwise available on their 1989 album Steel Wheels

Fancy Man Blues as the B-side

1989 - Rock and a Hard Placenote Otherwise available on their album Steel Wheels

Cook Cook Blues as the B-side

1989 - Terrifyingnote Otherwise available on Steel Wheels

Wish I'd Never Met You as the B-side

1994 - Love Is Strongnote Otherwise available on their 1994 album Voodoo Lounge

The Storm as the first B-side

So Young as the second B-side note Otherwise available on the 2011 bonus disc of their 1978 album Some Girls

1994 - You Got Me Rockingnote Otherwise available on Voodoo Lounge

Jump on Top of Me as the B-side

1994 - Out of Tearsnote Available on Voodoo Lounge

I'm Gonna Drive as the first B-side

Sparks Will Fly and So Young as the second and third B-side note Sparks Will Fly is available on Voodoo Lounge and So Young is available on the 2011 bonus disc of Some Girls

1998 - Saint Of Menote Otherwise available on their 1997 album Bridges To Babylon

Anyway You Look At It as the first B-side

Gimme Shelter and Anybody Seen My Baby as the second and third B-side note Gimme Shelter is a live recording not available elsewhere, and Anybody Seen My Baby is otherwise available on Bridges to Babylon

Cluster F-Bomb: "Star Star". It was originally called "Starfucker", but had the title changed after Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun managed to get them to do so. He couldn't make them remove the profanity though.

Also "Andrew's Blues," a drunken outtake from 1964 where the Stones (with Gene Pitney, Phil Spector, and the Hollies' Graham Nash and Allan Clarke) pay tribute to their manager Andrew Loog Oldham in the most profane way possible.

Country Music: They have written a sizeable number of songs in this genre of varying degrees of sincerity. From Sticky Fingers we have the example of "Dead Flowers" which is an Anti-Love Song featuring deliberately trashy musicianship intended to sound like the band members themselves were trashed when they recorded it. The same album also contains the example of "Wild Horses", which is played completely seriously and, like many of the best songs of the genre, is utterly heartbreaking.

The Stones themselves, of course, were initially seen as a Darker And Edgier alternative to The Beatles.

Demoted to Extra: Shortly after becoming the Stones' business manager in 1964, Andrew Loog Oldham had keyboardist Ian Stewart demoted to road manager, ostensibly on the grounds that six were too many for a pop group but more likely because Stewart's short-haired, lantern-jawed appearance didn't fit the image Oldham was trying to cultivate for them. However, he did continue to contribute to the Stones' recordings and performed in the background as their touring keyboardist (but not a full member of the band) until his death. When the Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, the band requested that Stewart be inducted as a member as well.

Sadly, this is more or less what happened to Brian Jones as the '60s progressed. Originally the Stones' leader, Jones was relegated to an increasingly secondary role due to the emergence of the Jagger-Richards partnership (Jones didn't write any songs, which made him far less important as the group's commercial ambitions grew), deteriorating relations with his bandmates (exacerbated by a Love Triangle between Jones, Richards, and Anita Pallenberg), and his own personal problems (including severe drug and alcohol abuse). As a result of all this, Jones contributed little to the Stones' music after 1967; his final album with the band, Let It Bleed, features him on just two tracks (congas on "Midnight Rambler" and autoharp on "You Got The Silver").

Embarrassing Middle Name: In a memoir of his time living with the group in the early '60s, one-time Stones crony Jimmy Phelge relates how Brian Jones had a strong aversion to his middle name (Hopkins) and tried to keep it a secret from the others.

Happily Married: Charlie Watts is the only member of the band still married to his first wife, Shirley, who he married before the Stones became famous. His devotion to his wife is well known: When the band visited the Playboy Mansion in 1972, Watts played pool with Hugh Hefner instead of partaking with the Bunnies like the rest of the band.

Heavy Meta: "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" (but I like it, I like it, yes I do!)

Line-of-Sight Name: Brian Jones supposedly came up with the band's name while trying to get a club booking on the telephone. When the venue's manager asked Jones what his newly-formed group called themselves, he looked at a Muddy Waters album that was sitting on the floor and noticed the first track, "Rollin' Stone Blues".

Live Album: Several. Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, recorded on the 1969 U.S. tour and released in 1970, is generally considered the best of them.

Long Runner: Started as a London club band in 1962, still going strong.

Lyrical Dissonance: The Stones have a knack for combining beautiful, moving music with severely screwed-up lyrics full of sex (and definitely not of the Safe, Sane, and Consensual kind), drugs, violence, and general weirdness.

Case in point: "Brown Sugar", the only upbeat song on the Sticky Fingers album. It's about slave rape on American cotton plantations.

Paint It Black: Trope Namer (the actual song has nothing to do with the trope).

Pen Name: The pseudonym "Nanker Phelge" was used for several early group compositions.note "Nankering" or "pulling a nanker" was the Stones' slang term for making a face, while "Phelge" was a Shout-Out to Jimmy Phelge, who shared a London flat with Mick, Keith, and Brian prior to the group's success.

Refrain from Assuming: "Sympathy for the Devil" really doesn't count, but certainly somebody will call it "Pleased to Meet You."

The crotch-area and backside pictured on the cover art of Sticky Fingers is not that of Mick Jagger, but of "Warhol Superstar", model Joe Dallasandro (Warhol designed the cover art). A photo of Joe's bare chest was featured on the cover of the debut album by The Smiths 13 years later.

Mick Jagger himself was critical about this trope, noting that he was amazed that the Satanic metaphor became popular with Heavy Metal musicians when for him the song wasn't really about "the devil" at all.

Charlie Is My Darling (1966), a documentary of the Stones' 1965 Irish tour, which has been described by some as A Hard Day's Night had it been directed by Jean-Luc Godard.

One Plus One/Sympathy For The Devil (1968) is actually directed by Godard himself. It features digressive vignettes on politics and student movements intercut with actual footage showing the recording sessions in studio for "Sympathy For The Devil". The producer of the film famously re-titled the film after the song, outraging Godard and leading him to remark, "They wanted to make my One Plus One equal two!"

Gimme Shelter (1970), a documentary of their disastrous 1969 free concert at Altamont Speedway, has been viewed by some as a meditation on the death of the Sixties.

Cocksucker Blues (named after the song they recorded to get way the fuck away from Decca, see below) is even worse; it hasn't been released. If the director tries, they'll sue him. Considering what's in it, that's in their best interest.

Shine a Light (2008), directed by Martin Scorsese, intersperses concert and backstage footage from a New York concert on the 2006 A Bigger Bang tour with archival footage from throughout the band's career.

Self-Backing Vocalist: While various band-mates and others have all contributed backing vocals at different times, it's not unusual for Jagger to employ this on recordings.

Self-Deprecation: A compilation of their late '70s material was titled Sucking In The Seventies.

The original Some Girls cover includes photos of Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Farrah Fawcett, and Raquel Welch. This backfired when the women and/or their estates threatened legal action, forcing the album to be withdrawn and the cover altered.

Solo Side Project: Every main member of the Stones bar Mick Taylor has released solo albums or worked on solo projects while being a member of The Rolling Stones. Bill Wyman was the first to do this with a proper solo album with Monkey Grip in 1974, though Brian Jones recorded a soundtrack in 1967 that was never officially released.

Often lampshaded by Jagger in concert, where he usually introduces the band right before Keith sings a song or two. To heighten the effect, Keith is last, wherein Jagger introduces him "on guitar and now the vocals".

Take That!: When their former record company told them they were obligated to deliver one more single, the band gave them the unreleasable "Cocksucker Blues". It was released in Germany and did well there, though.

"We Love You" was the Stones' "valentine" to the British establishment following the group's harassment by police and media throughout 1967, which culminated in an infamous drug raid at Keith Richards' home and the attempted imprisonment of he and Jagger for possession.

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